TV mounting height is the height of the center of the screen above the floor, and it should match your seated eye height: about 42 in on a sofa. For a 55 in TV that puts the bottom edge 28.5 in and the top edge 55.5 in off the floor. Put the TV in a bedroom or above a fireplace and the answer changes, which is what the calculator above works out from your own numbers.
How the TV mounting height is calculated
The rule the calculator follows is the one Vogel's and CEPRO both give: the center of the screen sits at eye level when you are seated. From there it is geometry.
Center height = seated eye height; bottom edge = center − screen height ÷ 2; screen height = diagonal × 0.4904 (16:9)
A 16:9 screen has a height of 0.4904 times its diagonal and a width of 0.8716 times it, so a 55 in TV is 27.0 in tall and 47.9 in wide. Half the height goes below the center mark and half above.
Worked example: a 55 in TV in the living room
With a seated eye height of 42 in, the center mark goes at 42 in. The screen is 27.0 in tall, so the bottom edge is 42 − 13.5 = 28.5 in from the floor and the top edge 55.5 in. Seen from 9 ft away the screen is dead level with your eyes: 0°.
TV mounting height by size
The center stays at eye level, so the size only moves the edges. These are the numbers the calculator gives for a 42 in eye height.
| TV size | Screen height | Screen width | Bottom edge | Top edge | Distance (diagonal ÷ 0.55) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 in | 21.1 in | 37.5 in | 31.5 in | 52.5 in | 78 in |
| 55 in | 27.0 in | 47.9 in | 28.5 in | 55.5 in | 100 in |
| 65 in | 31.9 in | 56.7 in | 26.1 in | 57.9 in | 118 in |
| 75 in | 36.8 in | 65.4 in | 23.6 in | 60.4 in | 136 in |
Vogel's quotes wider ranges for the center itself: 39 to 43 in for a 55 in TV, 39 to 47 in for a 65 in and 39 to 55 in for a 75 in. Large TVs are often hung a little higher so the picture clears furniture, and the calculator shows the resulting angle so you can see the cost.
Bedroom TV height
In bed you sit up higher than on a sofa and often look at the TV from a reclined position. Vogel's gives about 60 in to the center as a common bedroom height, and the bedroom preset fills your eye height with that number. If you watch lying back, keep the mount lower or use a tilt of 5° to 15°, the range Reimagine Home suggests for reclined viewing. Change the eye height to your own measurement: sit the way you watch and measure from the floor to your eyes.
TV height over a fireplace
A fireplace pushes the TV up for two reasons: the mantel is in the way and heat and soot rise. CEPRO recommends 4 to 6 in between the bottom of the TV and the furniture below; the calculator uses 6 in above the mantel. A 55 in TV above a 54 in mantel then has its bottom edge at 60 in and its center at 73.5 in, which is 31.5 in above eye level. From 9 ft away that is a 16° upward angle, past the 15° CEPRO calls the limit for neck comfort, so the calculator suggests a tilt of about 16°. Reimagine Home advises keeping the center under 60 in above a fireplace when you can, and a pull-down or tilting mount when you cannot. Check the manufacturer's heat rating for the wall above a working fireplace before you drill.
Viewing angle and distance
Comfort comes from the vertical angle between your eyes and the screen center. CEPRO gives no more than 15° vertically and 40° horizontally. Sitting farther back shrinks the angle: the same 31.5 in above eye level is 16° at 9 ft but 11° at 13 ft. CEPRO's rule for how far back to sit is the diagonal divided by 0.55, so 100 in (8 ft 4 in) for a 55 in TV.
Bracket position
Wall plates differ in hole spacing, so the calculator does not guess the position of the holes. Mark the center height on the wall, find the studs with a stud finder, and center the plate on that mark; the plate is normally centered on the back of the TV. Then check that the screen's bottom edge is where the calculator says. If you plan a soundbar or shelf below the TV, add its height to the bottom edge.
What to plan next
The wall is one part of the room. Work out the rug size for the seating area, the curtain size for the window beside the screen and the ceiling fan size for the same room. To add up wall measurements in feet and inches, use the feet and inches calculator. All of them are in room planning.